Cristóvão Colombo Statue

About the Christopher Columbus Statue

Christopher Columbus' connection to Porto Santo is part of the island's History, so much so that a local museum, Casa Colombo - Museu do Porto Santo, is named after him. However, this link is present in another point of interest, the Cristóvão Colombo Statue.

Located in the Infante D. Henrique Avenue Garden, in the heart of the town of Vila Baleira, this bust is the work of the Madeiran sculptor Ricardo Veloza. It was built in 1989 as a tribute to the navigator who lived in the Madeira archipelago for some years, initially connected with the sugar trade. He then married Filipa de Moniz, daughter of the first donee captain of Porto Santo, Bartolomeu Perestrelo.

The marriage took place in 1479 or 1480, in Lisbon. After that, between 1480 and 1482, Christopher Columbus supposedly stayed in Madeira. It's considered an important time for his nautical training. At that time, Porto Santo was used as a technical stopover on voyages linked to maritime expansion. Christopher Columbus visited the island in 1498 on his third voyage to America.

Because of its historical weight, the navigator has become a reference that is still very present in the region.